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The Bootstraps Lie
The American Dream is a hell of a sales pitch. Work hard, keep your head down, and success is yours for the taking.
Except, of course, when it isn’t. Because while everyday Americans are told their failures are personal flaws, the rich get billion-dollar bailouts and golden parachutes without so much as a scolding. If hard work was really the ticket to success, teachers and nurses would be the wealthiest people in the country. Instead, they’re scraping by while corporate giants rake in subsidies like it’s their birthright.
America’s obsession with “personal responsibility” isn’t about accountability — it’s a diversion. The American Dream was never about hard work. It was about keeping the rich rich and everyone else distracted.
The Myth of Meritocracy
America loves to pretend it’s a meritocracy. Work hard, play by the rules, and success is yours.
But that’s never been the deal. The rules were designed to keep wealth exactly where it is — at the top. And the genius of the American Dream myth is how it convinces struggling people that their failure is a personal flaw rather than the inevitable outcome of a rigged system.
The roots of this con go deep. The Protestant work ethic made labor a moral virtue. Capitalism turned wealth into proof of character. Reaganomics turned…
